A test of faith: Plan B vs A vs Z

[KayB]

I have read many posts on the forum from people who wondered whether migrating to Australia was in line with God's will for them and most had that confirmation or conviction. I did for a while, have wanted to move there since I was a teenager reading Emma Darcy's Mills & Boon novels about romance on the sheep ranches and starry skies. Anyway, I have been wanting to move on and off but since this time last year the urgency increased and I began the process in January 2018. Hubby wasn't always keen but after some encouragement from his sister who lives in Adelaide and is now an Australian citizen he came on board. I spent December doing research on visa types and booked the 1st available IELTS test in January. I passed with 8.5 and got 20 points. To me this was a blessing and I felt so thankful that God was working in my visa. The original aim was to migrate by June as my contract was ending in May. Next stop was VETASSESS qualification assessment. We could not afford the fast-track option so had to wait almost 12 weeks. I wanted to apply for subclass 190 for South Australia to be close to my sister-in-law and by that time I had fallen in love with Adelaide. Vetasses recommended that I claim points for 7,2 years instead of the 8 I had hoped for because one year was contributing towards minimum requirements. In March the high points category for South Australia increased to 90 points and I only had 85.

 

A few week earlier this would have been enough so I kicked myself for not paying the extra money for priority processing. I still applied in April and was declined. That time there was so much anxiety about the new visa regulations coming out in June. I panicked and applied to Tasmania, they came back after two weeks with an offer for 489 nomination since I didn't have a job offer. I saw it as a blessing, maybe God has a purpose for me in Tasmania. I had put together the paperwork in a huff and felt that nothing short of a miracle could have made it possible. And until a few weeks ago I was certain that this was my God-given destination. SA had been so close to getting the nomination for SA but in the end didn't make it. I thought maybe it was divine intervention. There are times when I have not received something I badly wanted then a few months be like thank you Lord for helping me avoid that.

 

I lodged the visa application in June, managed to do the  medicals and PCC in a few weeks and then waited for a direct grant, and waited.... and waited. I had a CO contact in September asking for 5 year bank statements and other documents I had either submitted earlier or not relevant. I sent back a response and the statements in three days. And until now I am waiting for feedback, or better yet, a visa grant. As the wait continues I find myself wondering if I am on the right track after all. SA  dropped the points for my profession back to 80 in July and I could possibly get a 190 nomination if I applied now. I would actually have 95 points since I now have 8 years experience. I wonder if it was or really is God's will for me to move to Tasmania. Or was it South Australia, after all I would migrate with a PR rather than the 489 visa with less privileges. Did i act too rashly when I could not get into SA, or am i being impatient now that the visa is taking much longer than anticipated. I don't know what to think anymore. As I mentioned earlier my contract ended in May, it was a very stressful time with no prospects but God did wonders for me. I heard about a job opening from the most unlikely source, was interviewed together with someone who had been headhunted but still made it. I know God loves me and takes care of me always. And i want to go where He leads but this time if feel like I am not sure where that is. Maybe there is so much noise in my head I can't hear Him. I would have loved to be out of here by now that was plan A. Plan B was to at least have a visa by now and start planning for next year with more clarity. None of it has happened and I feel completely lost. What do i do and not do in this situation. It's hard to remain still.

[Tntaglia]

Staying patient in this process is really really hard. No matter how sure you are that you're doing the right thing, you will have LOADS of time to question that certainty, and things are bound to happen that will make you question everything. My suggestion would be to try not to have such hard timelines in your head to plan around, as a start - don't make a timeline for things you have no control over. You can plan to have researched x, y and z, or to have put together the paperwork, etc etc - or to make a decision about applying for the 190 for Adelaide. But not for the response, because that almost always takes significantly longer than you expect even when it's based on official timelines etc. 

 

Immigration is not easy! 

[RYLC]

My philosophy is to take all possible action and let God decide. Now that SA is open to you again, I would apply there too.  Whatever is meant to be will unfold but you need to put the process in motion to have the options.

[KayB]

Thank you both for sound advice. I have just finished putting together all the required information to apply for SA. Will discuss with hubby for a final go ahead and then apply if he agrees. Just a question on lodging a second visa application. Do you know if we would have to pay another application fee, redo the medicals and PCC etc? That would be a huge financial burden since we already spent close to R90000 for all that for a family of four. I tried checking for information online but could not get a clear answer. And I just realized that my PCC expires early February 2019. If we get a grant on the 489 application The activation time will likely be short. I will try to apply for a new one before the end of this week. At least I can get one thing out of the way.

[KayB]

I have created a new expression of interest and applied for state nomination from South Australia. I also applied for a new PCC which will hopefully be out in two weeks. Now waiting to see what comes first, nomination or grant. And trying to cast my fears and anxieties on God. If the grant comes first we will definitely take it. Let’s hope it won’t be a complicated or costly process.

Edited December 28, 2018 by KayB
Typo

[frosty]

On 12/27/2018 at 3:13 AM, KayB said:

Thank you both for sound advice. I have just finished putting together all the required information to apply for SA. Will discuss with hubby for a final go ahead and then apply if he agrees. Just a question on lodging a second visa application. Do you know if we would have to pay another application fee, redo the medicals and PCC etc? That would be a huge financial burden since we already spent close to R90000 for all that for a family of four. I tried checking for information online but could not get a clear answer. And I just realized that my PCC expires early February 2019. If we get a grant on the 489 application The activation time will likely be short. I will try to apply for a new one before the end of this week. At least I can get one thing out of the way.

 

I am not 100% sure, but I believe as it is a new application you would need to pay the application fee again. I doubt it would be transferable between Visa subclasses. Medicals and PCC one could use the same assuming that the dates are still recent enough.

[KayB]

Thanks. I am planning to call early Jan to find out from DIBP. Fingers crossed that I wouldn’t have to pay for everything all over. Not sure if it would be worth it. Am getting mixed feedback on the value of each visa. Some friends in oz say life is impossible without a PR, fewer job opportunities and access to loans, no medicare etc. Others feel that it’s important to get in whichever way and the rest will fall in place with time. I would really appreciate a PR but also a bird in hand is better than 10 in the bush. And since I won’t know if and when exactly it comes i just have to see the outcome of the application first. Trying hard not to get worked up with all the what ifs. 

[KayB]

Happy New Year everyone. So my sister-in-law called DIBP yesterday and was told that we have to pay in full for each new application. However we can still use the PCCs and medical as they are still valid. @frosty You were right.  This morning I woke up to a state nomination approval from South Australia for 190 visa. I am not sure whether to dance or cry. I thought it would take 5 weeks or so and I wasn't ready to start processing the implications, especially losing all the money we had paid for 489 and the 7 month wait. Hubby feels differently and is ready to go full steam ahead on the new application. I am sure I will warm up to his levels later but I kinda feel sad. All the money, all the effort and yet SA is what I wanted from the start. @RYLC and @Tntaglia thank once again for the encouragement to act. I would still be mopping and not have actually taken the step had it not been for your inputs. I will keep you all in my prayers and hope that God will increase your wisdom. For now I will breathe and start with the new application after work. Does anyone know if I should withdraw the 489 immediately or whether I can keep the two being processed in immiaccount? 

[RAINKINGx1]

Congrats , getting the PR is a great success. Celebrate it and start planning. SA on PR is definitely the best option for you now.

Good Luck , I hope the rest of your process goes as smooth as possible.

[frosty]

I know it may seem like a lot of money now, but you should remember that with PR there are a few other perks which could save you some money in the long run. Maybe set up a nice spreadsheet and look at what you will be spending extra when you are not on PR. Might turn out that the decision will actually save you money in the long run. Also, I do not believe you can put a price tag on the peace of mind having PR and not having to stress about trying to obtain PR over the coming years. It makes it easier to settle down on the other side in my opinion.

[Riekie]

Don't be so stressed out about where in Australia you will end up.  All you need is a foot in the door - the whole of Australia awaits once you've met all your visa obligations.  Where you land is just a stepping stone. 

 

And try to relax - everything will be OK. The more set you are in what you want to achieve (and when you want to achieve things) the more likely you are to end up being disappointed or get disheartened.  Just go with the flow - it will happen. 

[KayB]

GRANTED!!!

 

Guys, I have no words, and I have every possible emotion. I woke up to go to the bathroom only to see an email on my phone that my skillselect EOI has been removed. Mmm, confusing. I said a little prayer and took my laptop, logged into immiaccount to see the words finalized on one application and awaiting documents on the second. 489 visa to Tasmania has been granted!!! I spent the better part of yesterday filling in the forms for the new application, even the withdrawal form. Only reason it wasn't uploaded yet is because the printer ran out of cartridge. But yeah, that just saved me a whole lot of bucks and another 7 month wait, who knows. Thank you all for supporting me on this journey. The past few weeks have been nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions. I am feeling many things right now, but I will focus on gratitude. I say Ebenezer, God has brought me this far. And He will take me the rest of the way. Initial date of entry 21 March, will process that later. For now, I will rejoice. And I am attaching  a prayer guide below and hope that it will inspire or strengthen someone on this journey where our faith is definitely tested.

[KayB]

Full document available from https://www.everynationnyc.org/wp-content/uploads/Unorganized/Prayer-Fasting-Guide_2019_English.pdf

EN_GreatFaith2019_PRINT.pdf

[RAINKINGx1]

Congratulations. Good luck with the rest of your Journey. After 6 months we finally received an invite to apply for our 189 Visa yesterday. I too am celebrating today.

[KayB]

@RAINKINGx1 A big congratulations. The only way from here is up!

[Avatar]

I hope your journey is going well for you. I completely relate to your post and thought I should give some of my journey. We came over to Australia 9 years ago. I wanted to live in South Australia but we got a job in Brisbane, which was a job we got from South Africa before we moved over. I never wanted to move to Brisbane and still wanted to move to South Australia, so when we arrived, I applied for jobs in South Australia but kept hearing nothing. At the same time, I applied for jobs in Tasmania, as anywhere seemed better than where we were in Brisbane. Finally I heard positive news about another job, but it was in Tasmania. The doors seemed closed in South Australia. Fast forward a few years, and I really didn't like Tasmania even after all that time there. It was too cold and we had bad heating where we lived, which made it seem worse. We found a wonderful church, but the people didn't seem welcoming; it may have been just me because lots of other people loved it there and integrated well; I just found there were constant mix-ups for me at church similar to what you mention happened for you with South Australia; when I wanted to do something at church the door would be closed and then a few weeks later it would then change and be open, but I missed the opportunity because of constant mix-ups and changes, so maybe that was a sign that it was wrong. Because of those experiences, I wanted to leave Tasmania. I tried applying again to South Australia, and nothing ever worked. Then I thought, Queensland was actually so much nicer and if I couldn't get into South Australia, then I would go back to Queensland. I realised after my Tasmania experience that I should have been happy in Brisbane; sort of like a Jonah fish experience where Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh but then gladly went there after the big fish. So I applied for jobs again in Queensland. This time I also applied for jobs at the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, as well as the Gold Coast. Finally, a job came through for us at the Gold Coast; I lived in Tasmania for 8 years of my life and should have left much sooner. I am happy here at the Gold Coast but still hope to move to Brisbane someday; Brisbane just grew on me somehow. Apparently there is a lot of back and forth between people from Tasmania and people from Queensland, where  people from each state do a swap during their lives from one or the other, depending where they start out, a bit like sister states.

 

Moral of the story: Keep praying and believing and God will open the rights doors. If a door is closed, it might be because it is the wrong door; I suspect South Australia just wasn't where God wanted me because nothing to get there ever worked. We can try for other doors and sometimes they do open, as Tasmania did for me, but in my case it turned out to be the wrong door for me; though I did experience much healing in Tasmania so even a wrong door can "work together for good" (lots of people are very happy in Tasmania, and I do miss many places there, but won't ever go back). Lastly, be careful applying for a place you don't really want to be because it might come through for you! I am quite happy living at the Gold Coast, but still want to be back in Brisbane, and wonder if I should have tried harder to apply for jobs in Brisbane; but at least I am only 50kms from Brisbane now. I wish you well in your journey and pray it works out well for you.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Avatar